Books of the Owl Kingdoms
This is an alphabetical list of in-universe books across the Owl Kingdoms. A''' ''Atmospheric Pressures and Turbulations: An Interpreter’s Guide'' A scientific book written by the esteemed Strix Emerilla. Ezylryb tells Otulissa to read it when she complains about first being tapped for the colliering chaw in The Journey. ''She complies, later citing it in flight, saying that it has three chapters devoted to hurricanes. The book is mentioned again in ''The Hatchling, where it is stated that Otulissa considers it one of her favorite books, and again in ''Exile'', when The Striga inquires about the book she is reading. ''A Treatise on Unification and the Foundation for Peace in the Northern Kingdoms'' Written by General Bylyric, this is a book about the reasoning behind the Ice Talons. It sheds light on the reasoning behind the War of the Ice Claws with several passages: "Some one hundred and seventy years ago, the Ice Talons sought to strengthen our region by unifying all the kingdoms of the Everwinter Sea. It was thought to be the start of a vigorous campaign to unify and centralize all the Northern Kingdoms. They were met with resistance by a few of its neighboring clans. The neighboring clans, including those on Stormfast Island and elsewhere in the Kiel Bay, began a resistance movement. The resistance was rooted in a desire to remain independent mainly in the area of trade." — A Guide Book to the Great Tree, ''page 81 ''The path to peace and prosperity has often been obscured by misinformation. What began as an earnest concern on the part of the resistance has become a faulty ideology. To achieve peace, this ideology must be defeated. A victory for the Ice Talons would lead to the stability and peace that the region desperately needs. ''— A Guide Book to the Great Tree, ''page 82 '''B [[Book of Kreeth|''Book of Kreeth]] An ancient book of experiments performed by the hagsfiend, Kreeth. To see more about the book's history, see the [[Book of Kreeth|article on the ''Book of Kreeth]]. F''' [[Fleckasia and Other Disorders of the Gizzard|'Fleckasia and Other Disorders of the Gizzard]]'' This was a book written by Strix Emerilla that delved into the complex science of higher magnetics, as well as containing information on shattering via flecks. To see more about the book's history, see the article on Fleckasia and Other Disorders of the Gizzard. Four Leggeds: Ancient and Extinct A scientific book about dire wolves written by a highly respected Burrowing Owl of the previous century. In The Hatchling, Otulissa studies the book in order to further her understanding of dire wolves, a species that, among owls, was thought to be extinct. Notably, there is a large drawing of an enormous canine fang, which Otulissa comments how it is as long as her own leg. She opens up to a passage of the book, which reads: "The dire wolf is far more robust than its cousin the ordinary wolf, Canis lupus. "Although similar in many ways to a large modern gray wolf, the dire wolf had a larger, broader head. The most obvious differences to its modern-day relative were its massively sturdy legs. Despite being shorter than a gray wolf’s legs and perhaps not as good for running, they were excellent for pouncing and bringing down prey. This characteristic, coupled with enormous teeth capable of crushing bones, made the dire wolf of ancient times a formidable predator. It has furthermore been speculated that because of its larger and broader head, it possessed a great brain as well. "Although no expeditions have been sent into the territory known as Beyond the Beyond at this date, some scholars maintain that large migrations of wolves went there eons ago at about the same time sheets of the last great ice covered much of the earth. It was this ice age that was accountable for the extinction of many large carnivores. Most scholars agree it is doubtful that any dire wolves could have survived." '' ''— The Hatchling, ''pages 207-208 '''The' Fragmentum A collection of small fragments of recovered and translated books written by the Others. Notably, the tale of King Arthur is within The Fragmentum, and a portion written by an Other named Dr. Sam, which discusses the power of knowledge. Mist mentions the latter while speaking with Twilight: "You see, Twilight, knowledge is more than equivalent to force... I read that in a scrap from the Fragmentum, a part of a book by an Other named Doctor Sam. I began thinking about knowledge as force, and books as important as battle claws." — ''Mist, Exile, page 85 '''G' Gazetteer of the Owl Kingdoms A book written by Lyze of Kiel that appears exclusively in the Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole video game. There are three excerpts, one for each of the three mission locations. The first excerpt is on the Desert of Kuneer: "Dry as bone and swathed in scorching heat, Vast Kuneer bakes 'neat the sun's constant beat, Is it possible for living things to abound Where rarely a drop or shade is found? In rocky nooks, they can and do, And under scrub clutching morning dew. And when the breeze cools the land at night Multitudes crawl or with wings, take flight." — Lyze of Kiel'', Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (video game)'' The second excerpt is on the Forest Kingdom of Tyto: An ancient forest home to that feathered race, The many proud owls of the heart-shaped face. Albas, Sooties, and of course, the Masked, Tytos all, in case you asked. Roost in the hollows of these verdant towers, Cozy shelters amidst the leafy bowers. Game is here aplenty, but fearsome predators, too. To live and let live is so often hard to do. — Lyze of Kiel'', Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (video game)'' The third and final excerpt is on the Northern Kingdoms: Past the Ice Narrows and the Everwinter Sea, Amongst blue-white bergs gleaming brilliantly. Lies a frigid land of warriors brave, Shedding senseless blood on frozen wave. Others choosing a life of contemplation, Seek wisdom in the icy desolation. Northern contrasts are stunning and sharp, Like black razor talons plucking a silver harp. — Lyze of Kiel'', Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (video game)'' The Gentle Owl's Guide to Manners and Protocol A book, first mentioned in the third book of the Bears of the Ice series, The Keepers of the Keys, that describes in detail how one must interact with other creatures, as well as explaining the customs of specific owl societies. For example, the greenowls of Ambala are so named for the moss capes they wear for gatherings. H''' ''Higher Magnetics: The Destructive Powers'' In The Shattering, Eglantine takes notes on this book in the library in a sudden burst of inspiration to share knowledge, not knowing that she herself is under the effects of shattering. ''History of the Ice Claw Wars'' This is a history book on the War of the Ice Claws by Lyze of Kiel. It is possible that this is the same book as Sagas of the North Kingdoms: The History of the War of the Ice Claws ''simply under a different name, due to it having a similar title, that it is mentioned alongside ''Sonnets of the Northern Kingdoms in Exile in a similar manner to how it was introduced in The Rescue, and the fact that it was written by Lyze of Kiel. ''Hooties, Cooties, and Nooties: A Book of Owl Humor with Recipes, Jokes, and Practical Advice'' A joke book written by a well known nest-maid snake, Philomena Bagwhistle, that had spent many years in service at the Great Tree. In The Journey, Gylfie picked out this book with intention to read it, but was stopped by Ezylryb, who suggested something more intelligent. '''M Magnetic Properties as They Occur Naturally and Unnaturally in Nature Not much is known about this book, but Ezylryb was reading it on one occasion in The Journey as Soren and Gylfie entered the library. My Fabulous Life and Times: An Anecdotal History of a Life Devoted to Love and Song Mentioned in The Journey, this is a memoir written by Madame Plonk about her love life and past, deceased mates. According to Primrose, the book also contains many songs. It is mentioned again in Exile, where Winifred, the librarian, states that it cheers her up to read it. O''' ''Ode: Intimations on Life and Love in the Forest'' This is a book of contemporary poetry by the famous poet, Skye. It was presumed to be lost until a Glauxian Brother found it hidden in a hollow in a tree in Ambala. The master bookmakers at the Glauxian Brother Retreat made a copy of it, then gifted the original to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. A few noteworthy poems are named "Moonlight at Midnight," "Elegy for Lone Pine," "Shall I Fly Into a Storm," and a poem written specifically for Twilight called "Ode to My Son Cassius At Twilight," which reads: "At twilight you came so fragile so slight I gave you your name Your song I shall write My heart you have won from the moment you hatched My precious new son your worth is unmatched Now it's for you that I sing my soul filled with pride To me you can cling till you can fly alongside I offer you this, my melodic phrase For you are my most beloved of Grays" — ''Skye, A Guide Book to the Great Tree, ''page 37 ''One Thousand Shades of Blue: An Analysis of the Spectral Coordinates of Kielian Snakes'' A book on the many types of Kielian Snakes mentioned by Ezylryb in his footnotes in The Rise of a Legend. It was considered a seminal work in spectroscopic studies. "Azure is a shade of blue. It is closer to the color of the sky on a clear, cloudless day. But then there is cyan and cerulean — very close to azure and then cerulian lazuli and then turquoise and cobalt and violusia. And with the violusians, you have both your striated and your non-straited. The striated tend more toward the deep purple, the non-straited are more or less lavender. You see, there are over a thousand shades of blue for Kielian snakes. Our scales are actually a spectrum of all of these shades, but some of us are more azure while some tip towards the purple end of the spectrum." — ''Hoke of Hock's ramble about the colors spectrum of Kielian snakes, which served as the inspiration for Ezylryb's future book, The Rise of a Legend, ''page 43 '''P Paranormal Activity in the World of Owls Since the Time of Hoole: Explorations, Case Studies, and Interpretations A book of case studies and investigations into the paranormal, written by the Great Horned Owl Stronknorton Feevels. The book specifically mentions how scrooms seem to go mute in times when explanations are more dire than ever, which Otulissa, while studying the book briefly in The Outcast, recalls having the same experience with the scroom of Strix Struma. S''' ''Sagas of the North Kingdoms: The History of the War of the Ice Claws'' A worn leather book with the title barely visible since the gold leaf it had been written in was nearly completely flaked off. The book is written by Lyze of Kiel, who had been in the War of the Ice Claws himself. This is a book that Soren and Gylfie found in their investigation of Ezylryb's hollow in The Rescue. ''Scuppers, Gutters, and Baggywrinkles: The Architecture of Storms'' A book mentioned in The Rise of a Legend about the architectural structure of winds of gales, storms, hurricanes, and typhoons, written by Ezylryb. This book is required reading for all members of the Weather Interpretation Chaw. [[Siv|'Siv]], a Queen's Tale'' A slim volume and first hand account of the story of Queen Siv, which was recently uncovered, preserved intact, from the depths of the Ice Cliff Palace. This book was previously owned by the Burrowing Owl Kalo, before it was burned by the Blue Brigade during a raid. A passage is later spoken by a burly Great Horned Owl within The Brad: "What were my feelings that night as I huddled with my faithful servant, Myrrthe, the Great Snowy, both of us trying to protect the egg that would be my first child if it was not seized by the hagsfiends? Though a queen, I do not think that my feelings were different from those of any other mother…" '' — A Great Horned Owl reciting the words of Siv, Exile,' 'page 93 At the end of ''Exile, Kalo receives a new copy of the book and reads it with her family. This book is also interchangeably titled The Queen's Tale. Slightly Filthy Riddles for Soiled Minds This was a joke book that Otulissa reads in Exile, simply to spite The Striga. She actually ended up chuckling at one of the jokes, which read as follows: "There once was a seagull named Luke Who was hungry and craved some hot soup. He spied a swell fish, and exclaimed, “What a dish!” But spoiled it with a big splatty poop." '' ''— Exile, ''page 29 This book was later destroyed by the Striga, burned in his guest hollow's fire grate. 'Sonnets of the Northern Kingdoms' A large leather-bound book of sonnets written by Lyze of Kiel. Ezylryb keeps it on a small nightstand by his moss bed with a small volume of poems. In ''Exile, Otulissa briefly talks about the contents of this book: "Would you believe that the first time I ever heard of the word "windkin" was in a sonnet Lyze had written to his mate, Lil? He spoke of them like a pair of windkins, interlocking, harmonious despite any distance." — Otulissa, Exile, page 25 Spectroscopic Anomalies: Shifts in Shape and Light A book devoted to disproving the existence of scrooms, written by Strix Emerilla. It explains scrooms to be illusions of light caused by atmospheric disturbances. Otulissa cites the book in The Rescue when the others are anxious about being in the Spirit Woods, saying that scrooms don't exist. T''' ''Tempers of the Gizzard: An Interpretative Physiology of This Vital Organ in Strigi-formes'' A book on the intricacies of the gizzards of owls. A few excerpts from the book are read aloud by Soren and Gylfie: "The gizzard is a most marvelous organ. Considered the second stomach in owls and often called the muscular stomach, it filters out indigestible items such as bone, fur, hair, feathers, and teeth. The gizzard compresses the indigestible parts into a pellet. The pellets are yarped through the beak. footnote pertaining to identification of owl species through pellet analysis." '' ''— The Journey, ''page 128 "''Volumes been written about the physical processes of the gizzard. But rarely do we find much in the literature concerning the temper of this marvelous organ. This seems like a gross oversight. For do we not attribute all of our most profound feelings to the sensitivity of this muscular organ? How many times a day does an owl think, “Oh, I feel it in my gizzard?” When we feel a strong passion, or perhaps trust, or even distrust, this is our first reaction. "We do use our gizzards as our guide. Our gizzards, indeed, do often navigate us over treacherous emotional terrain. However, it is my considered opinion that the immature owl does not always know for certain his gizzardly instincts. Why do so many break the one rule their parents tell them never to break and try to fly too young, thus falling out of nests? Stubbornness. They have blocked out certain subtle signals their gizzards might be sending them…" '' — ''The Journey, page 129 ''The Evening Hoot'' The newspaper of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, produced by the Research-and-Printing Chaw. Fritha is one of the editors. [[The Fire Cycle|The Fire Cycle]] A collection of cantos and one of the legends of Ga'Hoole. For quotes, see the article on The Fire Cycle. ''The History of the Ice Claw Wars, Volumes One and Two'' This is a set of history books on the War of the Ice Claws by Lyze of Kiel, mentioned by Octavia in Exile. These books, along with poems and songs, were requested from the library by The Striga. It is possible that this is the same book as ''Sagas of the North Kingdoms: The History of the War of the Ice Claws ''and/or ''History of the Ice Claw Wars ''simply under a different name due to it having a similar title, and the fact that it was written by Lyze of Kiel. ''The Legend Cycles: Owlet Adaptation'' This book is an adaptation of the Legend Cycles that was made specifically for owlets, and even includes quill ink illustrations by the Barn Owl, Wensel. One such drawing is of a dire wolf standing in glimmering moonlight. In Exile, Pelli reads this book to the three B's, Blythe, Bell, and Bash. She begins: "In the strange, distant region known as Beyond the Beyond with its clans of dire wolves was one wolf by the name of Fengo, who became a good and great friend of Grank the first collier..." ''— ''Pellimore, ''Exile, page 65 [[The Coming of Hoole|'''''The Legends of Ga'Hoole: The Coming of Hoole]] The second of the legends trilogy, this book tells the story of Hoole's upraising. It is uncertain who wrote the second legend, but Otulissa theorized that it was written by Theo. It has a mouse leather cover with the title in gold lettering. This is the in-universe version of the contents of book ten, which excludes the prologue and epilogue. [[The First Collier|''The Legends of Ga'Hoole: The First Collier]] As the first of the legends trilogy, this is an autobiography that tells of the life of Grank, the first collier. It has a mouse leather cover with the title in gold lettering. This is the in-universe version of the contents of book nine, which excludes the prologue and epilogue. ''[[To Be a King|'The Legends of Ga'Hoole: To Be A King']] This is the last book in the legends trilogy, where Hoole, the new king, establishes peace across the Owl Kingdoms and founds the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. It is also uncertain who wrote this legend. It has a mouse leather cover with the title in gold lettering. This is the in-universe version of the contents of book eleven, which excludes the prologue and epilogue. The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table This is a book written by the Others and most likely translated by Bess, as she is the only known owl fluent in the language of the Others. It is included in The Fragmentum, containing the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It is notably one of Pellimore's favorite books, as stated in Exile, and The Band later witness a Snowy Owl reciting a passage from it in The Brad: "It befell in the days of Uther Pendragon, when he was king of all England, and so reigned, that there was a mighty duke in Cornwall and he was called the duke of Tintagel and it was at this castle of Tintagel that Arthur was born of Igraine." — Unnamed Snowy Owl'', Exile,' 'page 94 ''[[Theo Papers|'Theo Papers']] A collection of philosophical and theological documents written by Theo in the time of the legends and left in the Middle Kingdoms following his death. The Spectrum of the Forge: Color Theory and Analysis A small volume, mentioned in the footnotes of The Rise of a Legend, written by Ezylryb at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree about his time observing Bubo's craft. "It was fascinating to watch the claws go through the shifting spectrum of color. In the beginning, the metal was cool gray, but as it heated, it became dark red, then an almost translucent orange, and finally yellow, the color indicating the greatest heat." — Ezylryb talking about Thora's smithing, which initially sparked his interest in observing blacksmithing'', The Rise of a Legend,' 'pages 83-84 '''U' Unnamed Book about Book Burnings Although the full book was never recovered, scraps of this book by an author known as Ray Brad were discovered and translated. It told the tale of a time in Others' history where book burnings took place, and Others began to memorize books to keep them safe. Braithe, Ezylryb's grandson, took inspiration from this story, creating The Brad, which he named after the deceased author. Unnamed Book on the Nature of Vanity In ''The Burning'', Gylfie recalled the words of a book written by an owl named Violet Strangetalon, which led to her escape from the kraals' lair. The excerpts read: "The folly of vanity is the curse of the peacock, a nearly flightless bird, happy to remain so and to strut about for the admiration of earthbound creatures. Their appalling ostentation is equaled only by their appalling stupidity." '' ''— The Burning,' page 107 "Vanity, thief of flight, source of all that is yeep, prison of the scroomsaw." — The Burning, page 135 W''' ''Weather Systems and Their Structure: How to Fly Them, Analyze Them, and Survive Them A scientific book about the structure of weather systems and common weather terminology, written by "Ezekiel Ezylryb" (Ezylryb's pseudonym). In The Journey, Ruby struggles to read it while studying for a test, even with the help of Soren. Y''' ''Yigdaldish Ga’far''' A long narrative poem about the heroic adventures of the Snowy Owl Proudfoot and the Eagle Owl known as Hot Beak, heroes of the Northern Kingdoms. For the Chaw of Chaws' mission in ''The Siege, Otulissa memorized passages of this poem in order to better grasp Krakish culture. Category:Culture